2013 Now IPO Binding Used and Reviewed

Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

Seven years in the making, a few patents, a killer team of old school shreds, and the most hype in snowboarding. That is what makes up the Now Bindings. Finally for those that have asked here’s the review and believe me they live up to the hype.

Conditions: Firm fresh corduroy in the morning mixing to slushy mashed potato snow in the afternoon.

Binding Adjustability: You have the option of with or without the highbacks, I opted for with. Heel and toe strap adjustment just like any other binding. Finally there’s the option of which bushings you want to use. These vary in stiffness. Mine had the medium flex.

Straps: The heel strap is plush and much like any other binding on the market it wrapped around my instep perfectly fine and did its job. The toe strap while looking like the old Union one actually fits better than theirs. It locked in on the toe box of my boots and made it feel secure.

Highbacks: The highback is minimal compared to other bindings and honestly I think it really didn’t do anything and I should have opted to pull it off for the full Now experience but I didn’t. The highback-less option seems to be one of the bigger selling points for this with the highback sitting on top of the heel cup and not in it this allows for the chassis to have the same fit and feel regardless of utilizing the highback or not.

Binding Flex: With the kingpin system this changes the flex a little bit. Toe to heel you have a bit of play that allows you to utilize your natural ankle flex to steer the board through the binding. Laterally it’s just past mid flex and solid, this makes it feel like any other binding.

Ratchets: Are smooth and never locked up. One finger quick release and easy to feed mouths to shove the ladder strap in.

Rider in Mind: All mountain guy that’s going from the peak to the park and then some. Or a jib kid that wants ankle flex for going through kinked rails.

Personal Thoughts: I know there’s a lot of speculation about these things out there and that some people are saying it’s a crap idea or that it seems rushed. There’s some flaws in the ones I rode because they’re pre-production but I knew that going in to use them. Some people have said that the bushing fall out, mine were glued in which I think changes that dynamic. The concept of the kingpin works. I realized that after the first hour of getting used to it. You have this level of micro play that changes the way you steer. Instead of having to drive hard into your boot flexing your knees, ankles, and hips you can do it more like riding a skateboard or longboard with loose trucks and pump the board through the ankles. When going through a kinked rail you have this bit of movement that allows you to absorb the kink better. Jumps weren’t an issue either. And for all you people speculating that snow will get caught underneath if it could have happened to me it would have with how slushy the snow was.

38 Comments

Did you play with stance angle while riding them? Not necessarily saying that 0-0 would be best here or if it even would affect the ride but if you have a more aggressive stance 21-21 when I stand apart and change foot angles rocking back and forth changes weight distribution.

I have never been to this site and followed it through a friend’s link from facebook. I was curious about these bindings and how they are different….. unfortunately this article doesn’t say a thing about their “original” design and I know nothing more about this ‘new’ concept. too bad

Reading comprehension must elude you. Then again if you’re interested in these bindings you should probably already know how they work.

“Binding Flex: With the kingpin system this changes the flex a little bit. Toe to heel you have a bit of play that allows you to utilize your natural ankle flex to steer the board through the binding. Laterally it’s just past mid flex and solid, this makes it feel like any other binding.”

“The concept of the kingpin works. I realized that after the first hour of getting used to it. You have this level of micro play that changes the way you steer. Instead of having to drive hard into your boot flexing your knees, ankles, and hips you can do it more like riding a skateboard or longboard with loose trucks and pump the board through the ankles. When going through a kinked rail you have this bit of movement that allows you to absorb the kink better. Jumps weren’t an issue either. And for all you people speculating that snow will get caught underneath if it could have happened to me it would have with how slushy the snow was.”

Do you need me to make a video pointing to the kingpin system? Do you not understand what a kingpin is? Perhaps you think all bindings have one?

Angry I live and die by your reviews – you are always spot on bro. On the Now bindings you demoed, what size did you ride with your size 10 boot? I ride a size 10.5 Thirty two TM-2 boot and was wondering if Large is the way to roll with the Now IPOs. Thanks

I think I was in a Medium if I remember correctly but should have been in a Large. If you get a chance take your boot with you to a shop and shove it in there to see how it fits. 32’s are wider profiles and the Nows I rode were narrow, but supposedly for production that has been changed.

great review, im looking into these bindings I saw there are three different hardnesses but when you say “more like riding a skateboard or longboard with loose trucks” how loose are we talking? are speed wobbles an issue? thanks

Spentmover 30 days on these in whistler this year. I was comin off a pair of flux sf 45s. I have a size 10.5 Nike kaiju w a yes 163 boobs and the mediums were the best fit also they they do runs little narrow so it was the only reason a 10.5 fit in a med( also like my binding super tight)
These things and life savers the know tight knee thing is gone and puttin it edge to edge was a breeze and they way the heel cups sucks ur boot inn it feels like someone holding you to your bord by ur ankle, yes they do take a bit to get used to and you will be able to fell a difference the first day you ride them also gets rid of a lot of chatter they great at high speeds, in pow in choppy crud and they destroy the groomers they were also put on a duprez and taken in the back for a couple of days and killedit back there too
Only problem was snow sometime gets under the back of the heel cup where the high back meets so you have to wpe it out once and a while

I saw that Jeremy Jones is a NOW shareholder. Not sure if you were able to take these into powder or steep straight lines, but how do you think they would hold up? I was looking to put these on my Flagship (which will never enter the park)

So I am a big mountain charger, 6’2″, 190lbs. Ride steeps, couloirs, cliffs, AK, San Juans, Jackson, etc. Not trying to say anything about myself. I see the list of riders they have and I am immediately drawn to these new bindings. I’ve been skating since I was 6. Love to long board. Will these bindings give me everything I need to satisfy my main riding needs? I’ve been on CO2/C60s for seriously the last 9years. I love how stiff they are, responsive, yes they break and I buy new ones. Only Burton gear I use consistently. Don’t get me wrong I ride groomers when they call me, hit some jumps, few rails, but the end of your review seems to point towards more of all mountain freeride and freestyle/park. Can these hang on the big stuff? Thank you for your candid review and your response to my questions. You site is truly great!

Here’s the way I look at it as Breck doesn’t exactly have AK style terrain nor what the San Juans have. I took em out on what I had and was impressed, the little bit of play you get from their truck design helps in ankle flex and lets you drive a board like a skateboard more notably a long board. If you’re blowing Co2’s and C60’s apart I would say hold off another year till they change the straps and highbacks up and then get a pair.

Angry, thanks for the quick reply! I don’t exactly blow through CO2/C60 just nature of Burton bindings, they are great and end up breaking so just mix and match pieces to keep them running. Do like their bindings overall though. As far as matching these bindings to terrain, I was asking because that is what I prefer to ride. Would love to say I ride that terrain 100% of the time in power, ha. But do a lot of all mountain and some freeride like I mentioned earlier. I am always a fan of year 2 snowboarding gear. However I am not sure my bindings are safe and shape to last another season. Would you suggest getting a pair, using them, selling them at end of year then picking up the new ones? Or go with something more proven this time around and allow them to hammer our any kinks? If not which other bindings would you suggest that suit me? Thank you!

I bought the NOW IPOs in white to go with my new YesGreats 158 after demoing them at XScape in Glasgow.
I was extremely impressed with the board bindings combination and how good if felt edge to edge and going in and out of the crud at the sides. I also demo’ed the Jeremy Jones Mountain Twin with the NOW bindings – another excellent combo and I’m pretty sure I want to pick this board up in the sales later in the year.

However, after buying the bindings and board, I went back to XScape and was able to demo the board and bindings again but the strap that feeds into the ratchet snapped whilst I was tightening the strap! Very annoyed and worried it might do this when I’m on the slopes (Les Gets at Easter). Sales guy said he had never seen that happening before but when we compared straps against other bindings, the NOW straps seem to be quite hard and brittle plastic where others seem to be more flexible and stronger.

I decided to keep the bindings as they felt great but I’m worried they might snap again on the mountain.

I see its possible to get spare burton binding straps online, is it possible to get spare straps for the NOW IPO or are they basically the same?

Hi Donald
We are aware of this issue and we are making replacement ladders with a different design and material to service 2012/13 NOW IPO’s. We expect to received them in the next two weeks, In the mean time the shop that you bought them from XScape should have replacement parts/ladders to help you out but I think you will be OK with the weather turning warmer.

Pretty cool JF himself would post here.
I cant wait to get me a pair of the Drives for my new Darker series. Hopefully the straps and buckles will be improved, which is one of the reasons I’m holding out for a new pair instead of scooping up some of last years at 40% off. Plus the new highback looks sweet. Wonder if they will ever go with a canted foot bed?

Very very helpful post, thanks for the review.
I’m planning to combine the NOW IPO bindings with my new Burton Custom Flying V restricted board.
Any objections/comments here? I’ll let you know of the result.

So I got my old board stolen and I think have decided on a new Flow Era 2013 158 ( 6′ – 230) . I only board in powder or packed and I am trying to do jibs, jumps, but lets say i am beginner at those but def intermediate in everything else. These bindings seem to be for experts/pros. I was never a skateboarder but i think i understand your comments. I am stuck do i go with these/ Hologram/ Cypher/ or other recommendations? Thanks! Your website is bad ass and has helped me choose my next board.